Studio Job was established in 2000 by designers and artists Job Smeets (1970) and Nynke Tynagel (1977), both of whom graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven. From the start, their partnership resulted in highly expressive works, which are mostly unique pieces and occasionally limited editions. They work mainly in bronze, using a range of complex techniques and pushing the physical potential and malleability of the materials they use to the extreme. Their approach is more an outgrowth of the traditional guilds than industrial processes. Creation is more important than stylistic consistency.

Their lavish, refined and humorous designs combine a remarkably high level of craftsmanship with extremely monumental ornamentation. They refer to both the present and the past and yet at the same time look to the future. The themes explored by Studio Job resonate with the tension of opposites such as good and evil, art and design, and beauty and ugliness, with all facets of these paradoxes being investigated. Their iconography is simultaneously heraldic and cartoonesque, ornamental and yet strangely primitive: a combination of elements that resulted in the creation of a style that Studio Job describes as Neo-Gothic.

With its monumental designs and functional furniture, such as the Paper Furniture produced for the Moooi collection, Studio Job creates an imaginative parallel universe, reducing the form of traditional furnishings such as chandeliers to almost cartoonesque simplicity. Furniture that looks unwieldy and leaden is actually as light as a feather. Using a specially developed process, furniture made out of paper is treated with a hard-wearing parquet varnish. An iconic piece in their collection is the Charm Chain (an oversized charm necklace made of aluminium that is laser-cut and hammered), which made its debut on the Viktor & Rolf catwalk in 2011. Several museums, including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, have added the Charm Chain to their permanent collection. In 2013 the Charm Chain was used for the Grand Seigneur awards.

Miffy on the Job

‘The title of the Studio Job Miffy statue is Miffy on the Job. The paper-mâché finish refers to our Paper Furniture collection. And, like the models on the Viktor & Rolf catwalk, Miffy is wearing a Charm Chain.’